OREM, Utah – Five have signed on to join Utah Valley University men's soccer, head coach Greg Maas announced on Wednesday, the opening day of the recruiting period.
 
Highlighted by Zahir Vazquez, the younger brother of former Wolverine Giovanny Vazquez, the class includes Freddy Hickman, Carter Johnson, Samuel Krommenhoek, and Jorge Valdizan. All inked letters of intent and will join the Wolverines this fall.
 
Four of the five are from Utah and join four other newcomers who enrolled at UVU for the spring semester and were announced last week: Caiden Brown, Luis Garza, Ahmed Longmire, and Caleb Wight.
 
Hickman (Santa Ana, Calif.) preps at Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, Calif. and played with LA Galaxy Orange County prior to joining Strikers FC, a U.S. Soccer Development Academy team. He helped his team to championships in the State Cup and Club United Cup, as well as three Southern California Developmental Soccer League championships, and a West Coast FC and Manchester City Cup championship. He was also also an All-Trinity League player in 2017 captain of his high school team.

"Identified through one of our College ID Camps, Freddy impressed from the first moment I saw him," Maas said. "Physically gifted, matched with a strong mindset, Freddy is an imposing and relentless defender who loves to get stuck in. As a member of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, his experience is being fast-tracked, and he will undoubtedly be a key component to our backline for years to come."
 
Johnson (Herriman, Utah) preps at Herriman High School and was named first-team All-State by the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune as a junior while also leading his team to a region championship and to the 5A State finals. He was second among all 5A players with 13 goals in 20 games. He also played for Utah Soccer Alliance '99 Premier club. A dual-sport athlete, Johnson has been named All-Academic for both soccer and basketball.  
 
"Carter epitomizes the true definition of a student-athlete. He holds a 4.0 and ranks No. 1 in his class, and he excels equally on the pitch," said Maas. "A skillful, intelligent, honest player to the game, Carter will add versatility and depth to our team from the onset." 
 
Krommenhoek (Mapleton, Utah) is currently serving an LDS mission in Estonia and prior to that prepped at Maple Mountain High School. In 2016, he was named the Deseret News 4A MVP and the Daily Herald Player of the Year after leading his team to the State Championship. He was also first-team All-State as a junior as well as a member of the basketball team at Maple Mountain. Krommenhoek played for the Utah Storm and was part of a State Cup Championship in 2014.
 
"Sam is one of the most imposing center backs in the game. At 6-feet-5-inches, he is an absolute monster in the air, and he can change the game with his impressive range of passing. A very cerebral player, that leads by example, Sam has the opportunity to step in and make an immediate impact on our backline this coming season," said Maas.
 
Valdizan (Lindon, Utah), who attends Pleasant Grove High School, has played for Utah FC and the Utah Rangers. He was a team captain who led his club to five State Cup Championships, including this year. A Futsal National Champion in 2014, Valdizan has also spent time training with Sports Boys and Sports Victoria, professional clubs in Peru.
 
"A very active, crafty central midfielder, Jorge has the ability to break down an opponent off the dribble or pass. He's fun to watch, he plays with freedom, and is sure to impress on Clyde Field," Maas said.
 
Vazquez (West Haven, Utah) plays for the Real Salt Lake Academy U19 team that is currently ranked sixth in the US Development Academy. He is second on the team with eight goals in 15 games and has trained on multiple occasions with Real Salt Lake's MLS club and the Real Monarchs of the USL. He also played club for La Roca and was on the US Youth Soccer Region IV '99 ODP team.
 
"Zahir is one of the most dynamic, hard-working, and versatile attacking players in the country," Maas said. "A slashing attacker with a goal scorer's mentality, Zahir can change a game in a moment. His experience with Real Salt Lake will transition seamlessly to the college game, and following in his brother Gio's footsteps, adds a dimension that's both humbling and exciting."
 
Also joining the roster this fall will be Kaleb Augat, who originally signed as part of Utah Valley's nationally-ranked recruiting class in 2016. Augat spent time in both the Real Salt Lake and Portland Timbers Academy and was a member of the ODP Region IV '98 Team and was named to the US Youth Soccer ODP Interregional Best XI. He is due to return from an LDS mission in Frankfurt, Germany in April.

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Full 2018 Signing Class (includes spring enrollees & returning missionaries)
 

Name	Pos.	Ht	Wt.	Hometown	High School/Previous	Club/Academy
Kaleb Augat	MF	5-10	160	Riverton, Utah	Herriman HS	Real Salt Lake/Portland Timbers
Caiden Brown	GK	6-4	200	Orem, Utah	Timpanogos HS	Utah FC
Luis Garza	F	5-11	160	El Paso, Texas	Univ. of South Florida	Tigres UNAL
Freddy Hickman	D/MF	6-1	185	Santa Ana, Calif.	Orange Lutheran HS	LA Galaxy OC/Strikers FC
Samuel Krommenhoek	D	6-5	195	Mapleton, Utah	Maple Mountain HS	Utah Storm
Carter Johnson	MF/F	5-11	160	Herriman, Utah	Herriman HS	Utah Soccer Alliance
Ahmed Longmire	D	6-3	160	Las Vegas, Nevada	Centennial HS	Heat FC
Jorge Valdizan	MF	6-0	150	Lindon, Utah	Pleasant Grove HS	Utah FC/Utah Rangers
Zahir Vazquez	F/MF	5-10	154	West Haven, Utah	Roy HS	Real Salt Lake Academy
Caleb Wight	MF	6-2	183	Pleasant View, Utah	Weber HS	Sparta FC